A Tale of Long Hair
by magpie-magpie
Summary: More often than not an accidental blessing can turn into a curse. This a retelling of a well known story of Rapunzel from a different perspective. Rumpelstiltskin/OC
1. Chapter 1

_This will be a retelling of the fairytale about Rapunzel, set in the Once Upon a Time story. There will be very many differences from the original story and the Disney movie, but there will be elements from them. I do promise you long golden hair and a tower :D I have chosen to use the name Petrosinella from one of the oldest telling of this tale, only because I think it would be weird for the two main characters names to sound alike. _

_This story is also a sort of reaction to Once Upon a Time's "Skin deep" episode. As much as I liked Belle, I wished for her to be a stronger and darker character, more consistent with Rumpelstiltskin's personality. So I decided to write my own character._

_I do and will ship Rumbelle until the end of the series. This story is just a take on the situation and an exploration of the magical world. _

_English is not my first language and this is my very first fanfiction. So please be kind._

The absent minded Nova had not been the only fairy to accidentally loose a whole batch of fairy dust in one place. It was, in fact, quite a common occurrence in the magical realm. Where else would extremely magical objects, such as unrusting swords that cut through anything, weathered boots that let the wearer stride miles at a pace or porridge pots that are always full, come from? And these objects are important and useful to the people of the land. Such things never cause problems. Not extremely big ones anyway. But when the dust touches a living being, now there is where real trouble begins. And no one is more in trouble, then the poor soul that the batch of fairy dusts hits.

One such occurrence happened in the kingdom of Severo on the night of the Light festival. It was the most awaited night of the year. The merchants, farmers and workers were bustling through the streets, happy and tired from the day's celebrations, trying to find an open place with a good view to the castle. The dwellers of the castle, nobility and servants alike, too were gathering in the courtyard or near bigger windows to get a glimpse of the upcoming fireworks and lanterns. This has always been a great event in the kingdom and everyone wanted to see. Even the three little princesses – the older two so tired that they had a hard time keeping their eyes open, and the youngest, still a baby in the nursemaids arms – were permitted to see the spectacle. They were standing on the balcony of their rooms in their sleeping gowns, yawning profusely, despite the excitement, the oldest one bragging quietly to the younger, how she had seen the fireworks last year and how she already knows how wonderful they would be.

At the very same moment, a fairy named Nissa was speeding through the air in a blaze of purple and gold, nearing the castle of Severo. The young fairy was muttering mild curses and complaints under her breath, how the high fairy had kept her waiting, how she will not make it in time to spread the dust, how inconsiderate other people are of her time. She was in fact so preoccupied with her own consideration of her time, that she didn't even notice a rocket shooting her way until the very last second. That second was well enough for her to get a grip and slip fast out of its way (fairies _are_ known for their speed). Poor Nissa was hovering in midair, breathing heavily holding onto the bag of fairy dust as hard as she could, thinking of what could have happened if she had dropped it. But as soon as the thought crossed her mind, another rocket was speeding at her, and another and another… She was barely able to avoid them, but with a lot of skill and a little luck she dodged the rockets, hearing them pop and seeing them illuminate the sky above her. As the last of them went by Nissa was relieved that this was over. Too relieved perhaps, because the last one went by too close, nicking the bag of dust and sending a batch of it straight down to earth in a sparkling pillar of light.

Just bellow Nissa, on the balcony, the little princesses squealed in delight as the pretty lights painted the night sky with a million colors. They twirled and dance around, looking above, until the middle princess saw a slightly different light coming down towards her. She just stood there, mesmerized by the beauty of it until the sparkling dust fell right on top of her. The princess felt tingling throughout her whole body, especially the top of her head. It was a nice feeling. A feeling of warmth and energy. She felt like the very joy and excitement that she and her older sister had been feeling just now at the sight of the fireworks. She looked around and her smile faltered. Her sister was not joyous as she was. She looked scared and tears were watering in her eyes. The nursemaid was also frightened, one hand covering her opened mouth, the other holding the youngest princess tighter to her. The dusted princess couldn't understand. Had something horrible happened to her that she was not aware? She turned on her heel and quickly ran to her room and faced the tall mirror by her bed. She looked at the reflection, wanting to see herself, but it seemed like someone else was staring at her. The mirror showed a figure that seemed to be glowing with a golden light. The skin, once pale, was now shining with a warm tone, but the light wasn't coming from it. It was merely reflecting the shine of her hair. What once was a mass of dull brown waves had turned into a halo of silk like strands that could rival the sun with their shine.

The princess stood there, transfixed by the change in her, not sure what to do next, when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned and came face to face with the nursemaid.

Princess Petrosinella, I believe we should talk to his majesty about this. – said the woman quietly and guided the confused girl out of the room.

2.


	2. Chapter 2

The court's reaction wasn't much different from that of the nursemaid's and the oldest princess's. The King and Queen stared down from their thrones at the small confused girl, their eyes narrowed and untrusting. The whole night of the festival was spent sending for physicians and men of magic, speculating the situation and questioning Petrosinella over and over again. At last, right before dawn, after at least twenty times of repeating her story to many wise men, nothing certain was decided so the princess was sent to her room, where she would remain until the origin and meaning of this magic would be revealed.

Now the reader of this story might be a little confused as of _why _the people of a kingdom in the magic realm, where strange occurrences happen on a daily basis, would be so afraid of this particular incident? The answer is simply that Petrosinella is the middle child. It has always been and always will be an unwritten rule in the magic realm that nothing ever happens to the middle child. Be it a family with sons or daughters, the middle children never make the stories of adventure. Nissa's accidental aim was most unfortunate. If the dust had hit either of the other sisters, the kingdom would be rejoicing. The oldest sister, if blessed with magic, would make a greater and more powerful queen, one who would be sought out by suitors throughout the realm. The youngest princess would benefit from the magic, when a dragon or a witch try to kidnap her (for we all know that it's the youngest princesses they all go for). But the middle daughter, whose fate has been decided with the youngest sisters birth, who has a simple life of ahead of her, planned in the shadows of her siblings, what could _she_ possibly do with the magic? The court was rightfully confused.

Months passed after the events of the festival of Light and Petrosinella was not allowed to leave her rooms. She was sad for not being able to play outside and not seeing her sisters, but the days were not dull. All manner of people, "specialists of magic" as the nursemaid called them in a mocking tone, came to see the unprecedented occurrence. It was fun watching them, with their exotic clothes, strange herbs and instruments. They asked her a lot of funny questions, made her drink strange teas and mixtures, and touched her hair. But nothing they did seemed to make her magic act out. They all came up with many different theories and argued about them among themselves, but one thing that they all agreed on was that the hair should not be cut.

After some time, a few magisters of Ankh (a pace well known for its knowledge of magic) decided to do an experiment. One morning they brought princess Petrosinella a cage with a sparrow in it. The bird had its wing in a strange angle and the magisters explained to the princess that her magic might help. All she needed to do is touch her hair to the wing. The princess was of course skeptical of her ability to use her magic, but the thought of helping this poor little creature convinced her to try. She opened the cage and gently took the sparrow in her hands. She moved it near her shoulder, where locks of the golden hair were pooling and felt the magic flowing. A strand of light seemed to stretch from her hair and latch itself onto the bird. It lasted only for a second and when she loosened her grip, the little sparrow darted out of her reach and through a window, as if it never had been injured.

When a series of similar experiments with animals, plants, objects and even people have been conducted with great success, the King, with support of the court, decided to utilize the princess's magic for the good of the kingdom.

As time passed princess Petrosinella had become known throughout the whole magical realm as the Golden Princess. People from all over pooled into the kingdom Severo with hopes that here their various troubles and problems can be resolved. Rumors told that all illnesses and wounds can be cured, soil made fertile again, various precious objects mended, and it was all true. But not everyone was given the privilege to see her. The princess was heavily guarded and those who wished for an audience had to go through a succession of security precautions, including an hour long questioning by one of the chiefs of guards and a very throughout search for any objects or spells that could harm the princess, conducted by the magisters of magic. Let's not forget the waiting period, which sometimes lasted a few years. These precautions were very efficient in seeding out most of the ones who wanted the magic for selfish uses. It was mostly the ones who were desperate for help that persevered until the very end.

On an evening in a particularly cold winter, the now twenty-one year old Golden Princess, was sitting on her throne in the Chamber of Light, where she had spent every single day from sun-up 'til sun-down for the last fifteen years. The light from the windows was turning weaker and redder by the second and she decided to leave the rest of the book in her lap for another day. The princess raised her tired eyes at the crowd of people shuffling restlessly as slowly one by one they were allowed to come closer to her. "_Almost nightfall and still so many people_" she thought as a quiet tired sigh escaped her lips. The amount of people in need of the magic had always been great, but ever since the neighboring kingdoms started attacking the outskirts of her father's land the flow of people seemed to be never-ending.

"Light the candles, Sir Lucan" she commanded the guard standing closest to her.

"You shall continue, Your Highness?" he asked.

"There are still many people waiting. Perhaps a few hours will make at least a small difference" she said.

The knight bowed to her and started lighting the chamber. The princess swept the crowd once again with a glance. The people seemed tired, cold and anxious. None of them were looking at her. They were simply murmuring quietly to each other, trying to get the attention of the guards to maybe get them through the line sooner. Some of them were praying silently to their own gods.

The princess slumped in her chair and rested her head on her hand. "_How had things changed throughout the years_" she mused silently. When she first sat on this throne she was frightened. Frightened of so many people looking at her, seeing her. She had wondered what she would tell them when they wanted to speak to her, what would she say when they thanked her. Or worse, how would she explain herself if the magic wouldn't work. As it turned out, she feared these things in vain. In the first few weeks only the nobility of the castle was allowed to see her and use the magic. It was always a lavish event. Trumpets would announce the noble's arrival; they would then bow to her and recite a long speech praising her and her kingdom. She in turn would utter a speech of welcome and beckon them to her. They would have a few hours to use the magic, most often to heal injuries and ailments or sometimes to fix precious broken artifacts. The intricate ceremony became simpler and simpler as days went by. More people needed the magic and a few hours could not be wasted on only a couple.

Soon commoners were also allowed into the Chamber of Light. And after a little while all of the princess's days were filled with masses of people, flowing into the room, each given only a few minutes for the magic. There was no more bowing, in fact, barely anyone even paid attention to her. Time was precious and most of them kept their eyes fixed to the glowing long braid placed on the table on the princesses left. There were no questions, no words or even looks of gratitude. "_The Golden Princess became the Invisible Princess_" she had once said to her maid Ella. Ella in turn only laughed and told her to use her new found attribute to her advantage. And so the princess did, spending her time at the throne immersed in book after book, until she was almost through with the whole library of the castle.


End file.
